March 21, 2016

Apple's CEO Kicked off his Keynote Questioning How much Power the U.S. Government should have over our Data

On Saturday Patently Apple posted a report titled "Apple's Replacement for the Unapologetically Plastic iPhone Debuts on Monday with a Proven Sexier Design." In that report we noted that "Of course Apple purposely timed the event to be one day before the FBI-Apple hearing begins on Tuesday, and while it would be nice to not hear about the politics du jour at a product event, more than likely Apple will address their case in some form or way to the millions that will be tuning into the live event. Whether it will be in the form of a short statement or in a carefully crafted video presentation is unknown at this time." To Apple's CEO Tim Cook's credit, he played his cards well on this topic today, as it was deadly measured to be brief and to the point.

Apple began their special event today with a little fun and a reminder that Apple will be turning 40 in a 40 second video about April 1, 2016.

Apple's CEO then told us that there is now more than one billion Apple devices in use around the world. And with that, Cook noted, "comes a significant responsibility. We built the iPhone for you, our customers. And we know that it is a deeply personal device. For many of us, the iPhone is an extension of ourselves. About a month ago we asked Americans across the country to join in a conversation. We need to decide as a nation how much power the government should have over our data – and over our privacy. I've been humbled and deeply grateful for the outpouring of support that we've received from Americans across the country, from all walks of life. We did not expect to be in this position at odds with our own government. But we believe strongly that we have a responsibility to help you protect your data and protect your privacy. We owe it to our customers and we owe it to our country. This is an issue that impacts all of us and we will not shrink from this responsibility."

Apple and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation are due back in federal court tomorrow for a hearing that will decide whether Apple will have to write a special operating system that lets the government bypass existing security features. It's guaranteed to be a media circus. In fact, US magistrate Sheri Pym had issued minutes containing rules and guidelines for the hearing last Friday. It begins tomorrow at 1pm PT in the Riverside federal courthouse in California.